Tube perforating machine



Aug. 1944; G. M. HARTSOCK ETAL 2,354,860

TUBE PERFORATING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed April 23, 1942 G. M. HARTSOCK ET AL 2,354,860

TUBE PERFORATING MACHINE I Aug. 1, 1944.

Filed Ap'ril 23, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR M f/m-Zsack 5. Pounds I 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 G. M. HARTSOCK ET AL TUBE PERFORATING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1942 Aug. 1, 1944.

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Patented Aug. 1, 1944 TUBE PERFORATING MACHINE Guy M. Hartsock-and Harold S. Rounds, Detroit, Mich. assignors to Mid-West Hydro-Pierce, 1110., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application April 23, 1942, Serial No. 440,216

18 Claims.

This invention relates to a tube perforating machine.

It is the object of this inventionv to produce a machine for piercing tubes which will pierce tubes with great accuracy and much more emciently and with a considerably greater out-put per un t of time than has heretofore been possible.

The machine herein contemplated isof simple and rugged construction and requires no attention on the part of the operator except for placing the tubes in the feeder magazine. After the tubes have been placed in the feeding magazine the tube is automatically fed into the piercing die, pierced and discharged, thus largely eliminating the personal factor in the operation of the ma high ac- Fig. 6 is a detail of the machine showing the ejectors for the pierced tube.

Fig. 7 is a developed View of the cam and roller for indexing the rotary die block.

I Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic layout of the hydraulic circuit for operating the machine.

Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views of two of the valves used in the hydraulic circuit.

Fig. 11 is a schematic showing of-the electrical relay control for the pilot valves. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the frame of the machine is designated I. The

tubes 2 which are to be perforated are stacked in the magazine '3 secured on the frame I of the machine (Figs. 2 and 3). The tubes are removed one by one from the lower end of the magazine 3 and inserted in the piercing dies by a reciprocating loading plunger 4 mounted on the end of piston rod 5. Piston rod isconnected to a piston (not shown) in cylinder 6 and is hydraulically reciprocated as described below."

As each tube is removedfrom the magazine by the loading plunger 4,, it is inserted in a female piercing die. By way of illustration, four female piercing dies are shown and are referenced 1, 8, 9 and I0 (Fig. 5) in theorderiniwhich the 5 tube is fed into the female die, pierced and ejected as described below. The dies I, 8, 9 and II! are identical and are each secured on the rotary die support block II by clamps l2 andbolts lit. The die block II is fixed on shaft I4. Shaft it is 1'0- tatably supported at each end on the frame I of the machine in suitable pre-loaded roller bearing races such as shown in section as at 25 (Fig. 2) sothat the alignment of thedies with the punches will be accurately maintained throughout the life of the machine. Since the dies 1, 8, 3 and H! are identical, only one will be described.

Each of these female dies comprises elongated metal block of rectangular'cross section and proper hardness. Each block isretained in a right angled seat 5 machined in the four corners of the support block I l. Each die is provided with a circular or tubular elongated opening I? having its longitudinal axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the female die. Each die is provided with openings I8 and I9 extending diametrically through the die and positioned at right angles to each other. The number of openings I 8 and I Q will depend entirely upon the number of holes it is desired to pierce or form in the tube. The holes IB and id, of course, communicate with the opening 1?. Each die is also provided with a pair of diametrically opposed grooves communicating with the opening it throughout its length. Ejectors 2| for ejecting the pierced tubes 2 from the dies reciprocate in and are guided by grooves 20. v

The die support block I! is rotated with an intermittent or step by step movement. To this end theleft hand end of shaft M, as shown in Fig.

2, is provided with four identical cams 22 circumferentially spaced 90 apart about shaft 64 and four identical cams 23 circumferentially spaced 90 apart about shaft I4 and offset 45 from cams 22. Each cam 22 is provided with a straight face 24 parallel to the longitudinal axis of shaft I4 and an inclined or cam surface 25 which runs to the opposite face 26 of the cam which is parallel to face 24. Faces 24 and ZiSarespaced apart. Each cam 23 is likewise provided with parallel straight faces 21 and 28 which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of shaft 14 and with an inclined cam face 29 running from face 21 to face 28. Faces 21 and 28 are also spaced 45 apart. The faces 21 on cams 23 align with faces 26 on earns 22 and faces 28 align with faces 24.

Cooperating with cams 22 and 23 is a roller 39 journaled on shaft 3| which is fixed in slide 32. Slide 32 is mounted for reciprocation in guide- .ways'33. For reciprocating slide 32 there is provided a cylinder 34 having a piston '80 (Fig. 8) therein connected to piston rod 35. Piston rod 35 is also connected to slide 32. Thus reciprocation of the piston rod 35 reciprocates slide 32 and roller 39. The various positions of roller 30 are indicated on Fig. '7 and referenced A through P. Upon each stroke of slide 22, roller 30 acts with one of the cam faces or 29 to rotate the shaft and die block H 45". Referring to Fig. '7, positions P and B represent the relative positions of roller 30 and cam 23 at the beginning and end: of one stroke. Cam 23, of course, rotates whereas roller A travels always in a rectilinear path.

A. to position B, roller 30 rotates the die block 45.

LJI

Upon the return stroke of roller 30 from position B to C to D, the die block is rotated an additional 45. The die block always rotates intermittently in the same direction and is indexed 90 for each reciprocation (two strokes) of roller 39.

The piercing of tubes 2 is effected by two sets of punches 36 carried in punch holder 31, one set for die 8 and another set for die 9. Each set of punches punches holes completely through the tube 2 and at right angles to the holes punched by the other set of punches. Punch holder 31. is bolted to a slide member 38 guided in guideways 39. Slide 38 is connected at one end to a rod 40, the other end of which is connected to a piston 83 (Fig. 8) in cylinder 4|.

After the die block I! has been indexed to piercing position, it is essential that the die block be held accurately in this position. To this end the machine is provided with a locking plunger 42 one end of which is fixed in slide 32 and 4 the other end of which is adapted to have a nice interengaging fit with an opening 43 in plate 44 fixed on shaft |4. Plate 44 is circular and provided with four openings 43 spaced 90 apart and arranged so that when pin 42 interengages plate 44 in an opening 43 the two top female dies will be accurately aligned with punches 36 and the two lower female dies will be accurately aligned with the loading plunger 4 and the ejectors 2|. The ejectors 2| are mounted on the end of rod 45 (Fig. 2) which is connected to a reciprocating piston (not shown) in cylinder 46.

By way of illustration in Fig. 8 there is shown one form of hydraulic circuit which can be used for operating this machine. This circuit com prises a motor driven hydraulic pump 50. which is connected with a four-way valve 5| by pipe line 52. The four-way valve 5| is controlled by a pilot circuit in the form of pipe lines 53 and 54 which are controlled by solenoid operated pilot valves 56 and 51. The four-way valve is connected with a sequence valve 58 by pipe line 59 and with sequence valve 60 by line 6|. The fourway valve is connected with the oil or fluid reservoir 62 by line 63. Sequence valve 58 is connected to cylinder 34 by line 65 and with cylinder 4| by line 66. Line 66 also connects to ejector cylinder 46 and to loading cylinder 6. Cylinder 4| is connected by pipe line 61 with ejector cylinder 45 and loading cylinder 6.

The operation of the machine is as follows: With the four-way valve in the position shown, fluid under pressure passes through line 59 to sequence valve 58 and line 65 to the left hand end of cylinder 34. At this time die block I I has been indexed 45 from the position shown in Fig. 5 and plunger 35, slide-32 and roller 30 are beginning to travel to the right or from position B to C to D, Fig. 7. As plunger travels to the right, pin 30 cooperates with a cam 22 to rotate die block to the piercing position shown in Fig. 5. As plunger 35 travels to the right, bolt 42 also travels to the right and shortly after roller 30 reaches the straight portion 26 of cam 22, bolt 42 enters an Opening 43 in plate 44 and accurately locates die block I and the female dies with the punches 35. As pressure builds up in cylinder 34 to the left of piston 85 and inline 65, this pressure is 1 transmitted through passageway 8| to the upper end of valve 82 and valve 82 shifts downwardly so that line 66 now connects with line 59. As the pressure rises in line 66 and in cylinder 4|, piston 83 and plunger 49 move downwardly to project the punches 35 through openings H1 in die 8 and through openings H3 in die 9 to pierce the tube with diametrically opposed openings. This position of the punches is shown in Fig. 5. As the pressure of the fluid in line 66 rises, the pressure in cylinder 46 builds up and thus projects plunger 45 and ejectors 2| to the right (Figs. 2 and 6) so that the ejectors remove the pierced tube 2 from the lower right hand die I0 (Figs. 5 and 6). At the same time the pressure rises in loading cylinder 6 thereby causing the loading plunger 4| to move to the left to its fully projected position (Figs. 1 and 2) and thereby remove the lowermost tube 2 from magazine 3 and position it in the lower left hand die I (Fig. 5). A portion of the tube 2 projects out of the right'hand end of the die as shown in Fig. 2.

After the tubes in the two upper dies 3 and 9 have been pierced a new tube is loaded into die 1 and the pierced tube ejected from the die I0; then the pilot valves 56 and 51 are shifted to the position shown in Fig. 10 whereupon the master valve 5| is shifted to the position shown in Fig.

10 and line 52 now connects with line 6| and line 59 connects with line 63 and becomes an exhaust line to reservoir 62. As the fluid pressure rises in line 6 I, sequence valve 63 operates in th same manner as previously described for sequence valve 58 so that the pressure now rises in line 68 below piston 83 which retracts plunger 40 and withdraws punches 36 from dies 8 and 9. At the same time pressure rises in line 61 and cylinders 46 and 6 thereby withdrawing ejectors 2| to the left (Figs. 2 and 5) until they are completely withdrawn from die [0 and plate l4 to permit indexing of die support block II. The pressure also rises at this time in cylinder 6 thereby retracting plunger 5 and loader 4 to the right and out of magazine 3 so that another tube can move to the bottom of magazine 3 in front of the end of loading plunger 4. Th die support block II is now ready to be indexed so sequence valve 60 shifts in the same manner as previously described regarding valve 58 so that pressure now passes from line 6| to line I31 and cylinder 34 thereby retracting piston 80, plunger 35 and lock bolt 42. As the slide 32 and roller 30 move toward the left (Fig. 2), roller 30 travels from position D to position E to position F (Fig. 7) and co-acts with cam v23 to rotate the die block- N 45 which ends the cycle and the machine is ready for a new cycle. 1 f

The slugs of metal which are punched out of the tubes 2 pass through openings 10: in'the die support block I I and as they build up'in' opening 7 they eventually impinge againstthe. beveled surface ll in the blocks 72 inserted in the die block II. The beveled surface 1| breaks up the built up pile of slugs passing through the. opening 10 and causesthe slugs to be ejected'out of the die block. Q

It is, of course, appreciated that in the operation of the machine, die I is first loaded with a tube and then indexed 90 to the position of die 8 in Fig. 5 where the tube is pierced. j Die 1 is next indexed 90 to the position of die 9 in Fig. 5 where the tube is pierced at right angles to the first piercing. This results from a 90 indexing of support I I. Upon the next 90 indexing die 'I will occupy the position of die III in Fig. 5 and at this position the tube, now fully pierced, is ejected and one cycle of the machine completed. The pilot Valves 56 and 51 are operated by solenoids which are controlled by limit switches (see Figure 11) so that the operation of the machine is fully automatic and the above cycle of operation repeats itself continuously until the circuit for the motor 90 and the solenoid pilot valves are opened.

Each of dies 8, 9, I and II is provided with a mandrel I60 positioned within opening I! for supporting tube 2 internally during piercing. Each mandrel I66 is provided with diametrical openings IUI and I62 positioned at right angles to each other for punches 36. Each mandrel is fixed at one end in the die support block II as at I03.

The pilot valves 56 and 51 are operated by the electrical circuit shown in Fig. 11. As shown in Figs. 8 and 11 the solenoid circuit I! is energized and solenoid circuit I56 is de-energized. With the main valve 5I in the position shown in Fig. 8, as pressure rises in line 66 piston 83 is moved downwardly to punch the tube and simultaneously ejectors 2| eject the tube which has been previously punched and loader 4 loads a new tube into the die. As the pressure continues to rise in line 66 after punching, ejecting and loading steps have been performed, the piston I III in pressure valve I I I, which is connected into line 66, moves downwardly to close switch II2 which is normally held open by spring II3. As switch II2 closes, electromagnets H4 and H5 are energized thereby swinging switch lever II6 to the dotted line position to close solenoid circuit I56 and thereby raise valve 56 to the position shown in Fig. 10 and to open circuit I51 whereupon valve 51 moves downwardly to the position shown in Fi 10. This causes main valve 5| to move to the position shown in Fig. 10 whereupon as pressure rises in line 68 and line 61 the punches are retracted as well as the ejectors 2I and loading plunger 4. Then as pressure rises in line I61, piston rod 35 is retracted. Piston rod 35 carries a cam II1 which, as it approaches fully retracted position, closes switch II8 which is normally retained open by spring II9. This en'- ergizes electromagnets I and I2I thereby breaking circuit I56 and closing circuit I 51 which again moves valve 51 to the position shown in Fig. 8. An over-center spring I22 holds switch arm I I6 to whatever position it is swung by magnets I2I and I I4 and over-center spring I23 holds switch arm I24 to whatever position it is swung by magnets I I5 and I20.

We claim:

1. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a die adapted to receive a tube to be perforated, an indexable support for said die, means co-acting with said die to perforate the tube while the die is in one position, and means for ejecting the perforated tube from said die after the die has been indexed to another of its positions.

2. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a die adapted to receive a tube to be perforated, an indexable support for said die, means for inserting a tube in said die while in one position andmeans co-acting with said die to perforate the tube after the die has been indexed to another of its positions. 1

3. A machine for perforating tubes comprising adie adapted to receive a tube to be perforated, an indexable support for said die, means for inserting a tube in said die whilein one position and means co-acting with said die to perforate the tube after the die has been indexed to another of its positions, and means for ejecting the perforated tube from the die after the die has been indexed to a third position.

4. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a female die having an elongated opening therein in which the tube to be perforated'is placed, a second opening in said die extending transversely of the first opening and communicating therewith, an indexable support for said die, a punch adapted to pass through the second opening in the die and into the first mentioned opening for perforating the tube while the die is in one of its indexed positions, and means for withdrawing the punch preparatory to indexing the support to another position, and means for. ejecting the perforated tube from the die after it reaches said other indexed position.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 including means for loading a tube into said die preparatory to indexing the die support and die to the position in which the tube is perforated by said punch.

6. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a plurality of identical dies each adapted to receive a tube to be perforated, an indexable support for said dies, means for loading a tube into one of said dies while the die and support is in one of its indexed positions, means for perforating a tube in another of said dies while the support is in the same indexed position, and means for ejecting a perforated tube from another of said dies while the support is in the same indexed position.

'7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein the indexable support is mounted tobe rotated step by step about a fixed axis.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein the indexable support for the dies is mounted on a shaft and rotatable step by step, and means for locking the die support in each indexed position to properly align the di with the punch during the perforating of the tube.

9. The combinationas set forth in claim 6 wherein the loading and ejecting means operate to load a tube into one of the dies and eject a perforated tube from another die simultaneously while the perforating means is perforating the tube in a third die.

10. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a rotatable die support, a shaft upon which said die support is mounted, a plurality of cams spaced circumferentially about said shaft, a reciprocating slide member having means thereon cooperating with said cams to index said table step by step as said slide reciprocates.

11. The combination as claimed in claim 10 wherein the slide member also carries a locking bolt which inter-engages the die support after it has been indexed to lock the same in said position preparatory to the perforating of the tube.

12. In a machine for perforating tubes, a rotatable die support member, a die mounted thereon having an elongated opening therein adapted to receive the tube to be perforated longitudinally of its axis and to enclose said tube, a second opening in said die through which a punch is adapted to pass to perforate the tube, a passageway in said die support aligned with the second opening in said die through which the punched out slugs pass, and an inclined surface spaced from the end of the opening in said support for breaking up the stack of slugs as they pass out of the opening into the support whereby stacking up and jamming of the slugs in said passageway is prevented.

13. In a machin for perforating tubes, a die support, a die mounted in said support and having a longitudinal opening therein adapted to receive the tube to be pierced, an elongated groove in said die communicating throughout its length with the opening in the die, and an ejector adapted to engage the end of the tube and be guided in said groove for ejecting the perforated tube from the die.

14. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a rotatable die support, a plurality of dies mounted thereon in spaced relation, means for indexing the rotary support with a step by step movement and for locking the same in each of its indexed positions, means including a punch for punching a tube in one of said dies while locked in indexed position, an ejector operative also while the die support is in locked position to eject the perforated tube from one of said dies, and a loading mechanism also operative while the die support is locked in indexed position for loading a tube into another of said dies preparatory to being indexed into position for being perforated.

15. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a die support rotatable with a step by step movement, a plurality of dies mounted on said support, means operated by fluid under pressure .for indexing the die support with a step by step movement and for locking the same in each of its indexed positions, a fluid pressure operated plunger for loading a tube to be punched in one of said dies, a fluid pressure operated punch for piercing a tube previously loaded in another of said dies, and a fluid pressure operated ejector for ejecting a perforated tube from a third of said plurality of dies, said loading, punching and ejecting mechanism being operated by fluid under pressure only while the die support is locked in one of its indexed positions.

16. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a die having an elongated opening therein adapted to receive and enclose a tube to be perforated, the said opening being adapted to receive the tube by inserting the tube in said opening by movement longitudinally of the axis of the opening, an indexable support for said die, means for inserting a tube in said die while in one position, a retractable punch co-acting with said die in a direction perpendicular to the axis of said opening in the die to perforate the side wall of the tube after the die has been indexed to another of its positions, and means for ejecting the perforated tube from the die after the punch has been retracted and the die indexed to a third position.

17. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a die having an elongated opening therein adapted to receive and enclose a tube to be pere forated, the said opening being adapted to receive the tube by inserting the tube in said opening by movement longitudinally of the axis of the opening, an indexable rotatable support for said die, the axis of said elongated opening in the die being parallel to the axis about which the support rotates, means for inserting a tube in said die while in one position, a retractable punch co-acting with said die in a direction perpendicular to the axis of said opening in the die to perforate the side wall of the tube after the die has been indexed to another of its positions, and means for ejecting the perforated tube from the die after the punch has been retracted and the die indexed to a third position.

18. A machine for perforating tubes comprising a die having an elongated opening therein adapted to receive and enclose a tube to be perforated, an elongated mandrel positioned within the said opening for supporting the tube internally whil perforating the same, the said opening being adapted to receive the tube by inserting the tube in said opening and over said mandrel by movement longitudinally of the axis of the opening, an indexable support for said die, means for inserting a tube in said die while in one position, a retractable punch co-acting with said die in a direction perpendicular to the axis of said opening in the die to perforate the side wall of the tube after the die has been indexed to another of its positions, and means for ejecting the perforated tube from the die after the punch-has been retracted and the die indexed to a third position.

GUY M. HARTSOCK. HAROLD S. ROUNDS. 

